August 29, 2024 • 30 mins
This week Jazz Thornton, a renowned mental health advocate and TikTok sensation, joins Sienna and Ben to share her inspiring journey and offer valuable advice to young people facing challenges in today's world.
In this episode, they delve into:
- Jazz's mental health journey: Her personal experiences, how she found hope, and the steps you can take when you're feeling down.
- The impact of social media: Jazz's insights on the positives and pitfalls of social media, especially for young people.
- A royal mix-up: The surprising story of how Jazz almost unintentionally missed an opportunity to meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
About The Show:
Sienna Boyce is 13 years old and constantly tells her Dad, Ben Boyce, what she wants to be when she grows up – an actor, scientist, rugby player, singer, chef or politician.
Each episode of ‘When I Grow Up’ aims to showcase inspirational females from around Aotearoa and shine a light on them, what it takes to do their job and learn about their story of how they got to where they are so that Sienna can help make up her mind.
This is a podcast to help the teenager in your life dream big.
Follow The Podcast on Socials:
Instagram: Ben | Sienna | The Hits
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Heads podcast network mine never seeing it and this
is my dadmin. Hi, and when I grow up, I
want to be a TikTok start right, or a sports
player Okay, hang on, yeah, even a fashion designer. Actually,
maybe an.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Auclory Okay, slow down. Maybe we should talk to some
amazing females who inspire you and who you want to be, like, yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
We can find out what they did to get where
they are.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes, and let's do it as a TV show.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
No, Dad, only old people watch TV. Let's do it
as a podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I guess that works.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
This is when I grow up. Today's guest is Jazz Thornton.
As you're here, Jazz does incredible things to help people
with mental health, especially young people. She shares her inspiring
story on.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
The podcast Jesu is awesome. She's great. I'd say sing
her like she's got lots of riz.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
She's never said that. Every time you see someone call
you think something twe you like, oh, they got lots
of risks. She tells a pin that there's lots of
britz because you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Work song I love because it winds you up so much.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Seriously, though, Jairs is amazing. It was really cool to
find out some tips for mental health for teens appearans,
you know, actually for everyone, and also some.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Good ways when you're dealing with anxiety and when you're
feeling low.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Jas at one point on the podcast, you'll hear she
even got me crying with one story, Dad, you.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Cry with every movie, every animated movie than joy story
in turn Out. And that's if you don't fall asleep,
because then all I care.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Okay, okay, all right, enough about me watching the movies. Okay, Yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Jazz is also a TikTok style with millions of followers,
and I found it really interesting asking her to answer
to whether social media is good or bad.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, and the power of the block button is quite interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Right, And she also hangs out with famous people. We
find out how she almost missed the chance to hang
out with Prince Harry and Mega Market.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And now Jas got to hang out with me. So
that's great, isn't that?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, that's not quite as cool told me, But I
have you enjoyed our chat as much as we did.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It really footed me with the hope.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
And as you did, I'd be pretty proud if you
ended up helping people like jazz does Hey, dad.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Today, when I grow up, I want to be someone
who helps people like jazz. Thoughtan.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Okay, well shit, it's I don't know if it's awkward
or not, but jazz is with us right now as
you say that.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, it's so nice to meet you. I've been such
a big fan for a while. Now, Oh, it's so
nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I think that was the best introduction of your head.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah. I love that I've put you on the spot. Yes, yeah,
what what do you admire about jazz? Then? Why would
you want to be someone like jazz?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Well, first of all, I love your tektik, I.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Love your time, love it when I do TikTok, and
do I get involved. You're you're embarrassing me.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Okay, that's just because you're you.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Okay, fine, But I.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Also love that jazz helps people so many, like so
many people my age, and by sharing a story and
giving people hope. Now, Jazz, you help people with their
mental health. And with doing this, you've got to experience
some amazing things, making movies, meeting famous celebrities and royalty,
writing books, and even speaking of the un Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
But I guess to get to where you are now, Jazz,
it was such a journey for you, you know, going
through some horrible, horrible times, and that's to put it lightly.
How do you feel when you look back at that
and you go, well, here I am now, But I
had to get through that to get to where I
am now.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Absolutely, And I think I often find myself kind of
looking back at it and being like, man, what I
like trade all of that bad stuff so that I
could just have like a normal life. But every day
that someone comes up to me and they're like, oh,
your story's helped me so much or like it and
allowed me to see hope to stay another day, I'm like, oh,
you know what, Actually, all of that stuff, as much
as it sucked and it was so hard, I.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Wouldn't take it.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
I wouldn't change it because I now get to do
all of these things and just impact people and be
able to share my story, which is twelve year old Jaz.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Would have never thought was possible. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So, Jazz, I read around my age you didn't want
to be around anymore, which is really sad. But what
would you tell your younger self at my age?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, Well, I guess what you're saying are you're looking
back a twelve year old, third year old Jazz.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Oh Man, I just like, there's so much more in
the world than what you can see now. And I
think that when you're you know, when you're twelve, when
you're thirteen, that all you can kind of really see.
And I think for me, because I didn't have the
opportunity to travel or see anything outside of the small
town that I grew up in New Zealand, my perception
was that the world was just this tiny kind of
(04:29):
town that I was in that nothing could ever change.
And it's like, oh man, there's so much out there,
like getting to finish school and going to.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The ball and then going into you know, whether it
be university or whatever it may be. There's just this
so much more of the world than what you know.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I mean, I grew up a master than in the
world before social media.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I mean, you know, no one wants to hear about
your stupid mask. Oh you talk about when I grew up,
I don't have social media.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Okay, you do grow up in mass little wherever you
grow up, but your world is school and everything around
it at the time.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
And I think what happens and what happened for me,
especially around that age and with bullying, which is such
a prominent thing in schools now for young people, was
that when you're in that position where you're getting bullied,
you feel like the whole world hates you because your perception.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Of the whole world is so small.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
So again it's quite hard to see like, oh, actually
this isn't the case, and not everyone in the whole
world doesn't like me. It's just a couple of bloody
school bullies.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean it's hard. The teenagers is hard for
every everyone. I'm looking back. I wore a Looney tuned
dove and made it into a waistcoat and bandanna and
pants sitting and went to the school boar And now
I'm like, what was I doing? Geez? I wanted It's
terrible afterwards, it's not good. No one wants to use
a teenage boys do something you're wear.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
For the ball, but I don't nature your embarrassing school
ball story.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Gosh, but it's hard to be teenagers, I mean any teenager, right, Jess,
you're a public kid. I look at seeing my daughter,
you know, and she's a bubbly kid. But you somewhere
you lost that light as a teen and as a parent,
that's heartbreaking to hear that that happened.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
I think my child protection files literally said that I
went from being happy and bubbly to dull and lacking emotion.
And I think that for me was like knowing and
seeing people like you know yourself in this real, bright,
bubbly teenage and being like, man, that could have been me.
And it took me so long to find that bubbly
again and to find the kind of person that I
(06:30):
used to be. But then once I found it, I
was like, oh my gosh, this is who I am.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
This. If someone's getting bullied, feeling down, or feeling helpless,
what a good ways to cope.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I think that the biggest thing and the best thing
that you can do is to ask for help. I
think that there are so many people, especially in school,
like teachers that are older and wiser and are able
to kind of guide you through that being able to
kind of sit.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
There in silence is just going to make it a
lot worse. And so yeah, I do think that the
best thing that.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
You can do is to ask for help, but in
doing that to also always ask for help from older
and wiser I think when you're really struggling asking from
help from people that are your own age or friends
at school. It's good that people know what's going on.
But as wise as you are sometimes I mean not even.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
As wise as you are.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Yeah, and so you know, older and wiser and just
learning to ask for helpers.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, this is when I grow up.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
What about as I guess as a parent as well,
we advice, you know, for someone who's just got a
daughter thirteen? You know, I think it's mine. I think
you're you know, I say, yeah, but this is worrying
met all seriousness about you know, the things that kids
have to go through these days, whether it's you know, bullying,
whether it's even vaping, whether it's social media, body image,
all those sorts of things is quite worrying as a parent.
(07:51):
What advice? I mean, that's probably you haven't been a parent,
But what would you give first people like me that
want to support our my kids through that.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
I think that the biggest thing to do is to
be having these open and honest conversations as much as possible.
I think you can't expect them to come to you
when things are happening at school or when you know,
even things like vaping or social media is happening if
you haven't been opening up, especially like I think the
dinner table used to be really good for that, but
now it's kind of just become we go.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And watch screens or whatever it may be.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
But if you're not having that constant space where you're
just like allowing your kid to debrief their day, or
you know, constantly ask and like how, no, how are
you really like how's your day going? Or doing it
in a way that's not judgmental too, because what I've noticed,
especially with social media, the parents that try to be
super strict on it, that's when the kids turn sneaky
and the kids don't want to talk, and so learning
(08:46):
to attend you don't have to understand it or you know,
don't be like oh back in my day or so
much worse, it's going to silence your kid. But just
having those spaces, try and reactivate dinner times if you can,
or just even like a couple times a week where
you're at the dinner table, no screens and having this
conversations so that if stuff does hit the fan, they
feel like they can talk to you openly and honestly
without sneaking around and.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Jobbing off of the school gates. Still give them big hugging.
Oh yeah, that sort of stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You know, you're already at worked by like five year.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You don't give me, give me picking up I picking
up inside skills. Sho't we pick up inside school?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
It's all right. You bring a lot of people hope
with what you've done. But I read that you didn't
do it alone. As a teenager. You were in a
pretty dark place and a doctor named doctor step helped
you out.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yes, doctor Steff.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, I guess that was someone that you well, you
turn to not but I guess by choice at the moment,
but someone who did, like you're saying before, someone older
and wiser that sort of sat with you for a
long time, a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
It was supposed to be like a fifteen minute doctor's
appointment ended up being ninety. And she said that reality
is is that if it was a physical thing, if
someone was having a heart attack, then it doesn't matter
how long you've spend with them, you will still with
them until you can make sure they're stable. And she
said it's the same with mental health, to be able
to sit and stay with someone. And she's like just
(10:07):
responding to it the same way, which is the same
thing with learning to ask for help, like responding it
to the same way as you do with physical health.
But yeah, she was amazing and said a lot of
stuff to me that I'd never really heard from medical professionals.
Medical professionals hadn't told me that there was hope for me,
that things could change. And having someone like that tell
me that, I was like, WHOA Like if she thinks this,
(10:27):
maybe things could change. And now many many many years later,
she's on the board of our charity and I have
adopted myself and to their family holiday with her at stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
See, young people can hang out with old people.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
People didn't thank she with my mum over here. She
wasn't too impressed.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So, Jazz, do you recommend for young people when their
load talk to someone that well they trust. To find
your own doctor, Steff, someone you can.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Talk to always always, And I think just keep asking
until someone listens, because they're all always will be and
sometimes you might not get someone who understands right away.
But I didn't like it took me so long to
find ault staff. But eventually someone will listen and be
able to help.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Yeah, can I ask on any tips like things like anxiety.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
It happens to all of us.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
I get anxiety, You get anxious. But you have a technique, right,
I do.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
And it's quite a known technique as well. But box
breathing as a really have you heard of it before?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I think I've heard of it.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
So it's basically where you breathe in for fo you
count to four, breathing for four, hold it for four,
breathe out for four, and then hold like no ear
for four and you keep doing that over and over again,
and it will literally calm down your nervous system, like
biologically scientifically we'll calm it down.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
And so you just take a moment for yourself somewhere
if it's feeling it, and just kind of go through
that breathing.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, And I will do that often before I get
up on stage and speak at things.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
And because do you still you know, you deal with
some of these things and you find what techniques and
ways to deal with it now. Right absolutely, it doesn't
just mean because you were feeling low one time, there
you're not anymore. It's not going to happen again, you know.
It's kind of ways to find ways of dealing with it.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
That's been the thing is learning, learning the tools, learning
the techniques, and that way things won't get as bad
as they were because now I know I know what
to do, I know.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
How to handle it.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
And I went to get off my phone and sign
out of social media.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Yeah, all of those things are very very good. But yeah,
box breathing is a really good thing for people to learn.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Now, you at your charity, you know voices of hope,
You've got your podcast, Hope is real as well. I
guess your message is always about finding hope. I hope,
I hope. I've got the right message from all the
things that you do. Yeah, I think it's good to
find that hope. Though sometimes when things feel about hopeless,
used hope a lot during that question.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
That's frambling answer the question another time.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Yez, I think that what I found is and when
it was really dark, I thought that hope just didn't exist,
And I'm like, oh, hope is always there. Sometimes it's
just really hard to find it. And sometimes that's where
other people can come in and kind kind of try
out hold the hope when you're trying to find it.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And that's what Stiff did with me. She was like, no,
Jaz's hope for you. But I think being able to
try and look forward and dream to the future.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
If you could do anything, what would it be, Because
it's really hard to fight if you don't know what
you're fighting for. And so if you can say, like
for me, one of the biggest things. And I remember
writing this down in the hospital one day. They keep
trying to make me write a bucket list, and I
was like, I want to write a bucket list, and
eventually I did, and at the top of their bucket
list was to visit New York City.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And then when I finally was there, I now work
there all the time.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, you go there. You're going in a couple of
days to speak at the U yes tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
And so to be able to stand there and be like,
oh my gosh, like this is what you know, fifteen
year old Jazz was fighting for to one day have
that moment been able to hold hope that way is yeah,
just a day at a time sometimes.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah. So when did you decide to use your story
and your profile, your social media, public speaking books, speeches,
and your podcast like use it to help others? Did
that just like happen or did you decide to do it?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I mean it was it was definitely a decision, but
I never expected it to be what it's become.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Like this is wild.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Like I remember, actually your dad and John O were
in our first ever Voices of Hope campaign.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
There we did.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Do you remember that we had a rugby ball and
you were like throwing the ball.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
But I decided to go to film school because when
I was in the middle of my struggles, I spent
a lot of time trying to research other people's stories
just to know that there was hope, and back then
I couldn't find anything. I think John Kernware had to
kind of just come out with his story and that
was really it. And so when I came out the
other side, I was like, I just want to learn
to tell these stories so that people can, no matter
(14:42):
what it is they're facing, can go and find hope.
So study directing. But yeah, my first show got picked
up there two terms into film school, and then the
movie got signed and the books got signed the year after,
and then it kind of just then I got on TikTok.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't even want it to do but.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Talk to Stiff's But like, you gotta get on TikTok
and I was like, no, in the first video over
post it was so lame.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
It was a freaking dog with a stick like a
run I don't know what I was doing, and then
started to share.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
But I did the series and the.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Movie and the first book before TikTok existed, and I
guess TikTok really is just what blew up?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yeah, everything, but yes it was.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
It was a decision to tell these stories, not necessarily
my story to this extent, but it happened.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
And now I'm like, oh, well, if people find hope
in it is what it happens.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Is it hard putting yourself out there? And like, how
many nasty comments you encounter? Like how do you deal
with that?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Yeah, I mean there's always negativity. I guess yas. I mean,
just google John Oan being if you want to make
yourself feel better.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
I've learned the power of the block button on social media.
Love a good block love blah. If people are mean,
I'm like, I don't have to see this. You're right,
people don't have to comment.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
This is the thing. And it probably sounds like an
old man ranting here, so you know, will roll her eyes.
But you don't have to comment on everything. If you
don't like something, you don't have to comment.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
It's true, you can look away, like why do you
feel the need to comment on someone else's video.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
All the time? You know, but that's kind of I
guess we social media is encouraged to comments. Yeah, but
sometimes I'm like, you can probably walk away and well,
I think a.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Lot of the main backlash that I've had was at
the start, and it was all like middle aged specifically,
to be honest, middle aged men.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah, it was basically just but they were very much
just like.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Because they still couldn't get past the attention seeking act.
So they were just like the film was getting announced
and they were like, there's.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Attention seeking be like blah blah blah. And I was like,
oh my gosh, like come on.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
But that started to kind of I'm like, hey, most
of our statistics and middle aged men, so this is
not just for our teenagers, for you everyone, everyone.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You didn't just.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Upset older people like that, you were upseted one of
their chocolates.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Wrong, This is the most viral thing I have ever done.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
So if not if people were listening to that, what
the heck was this? There was a chocolate from the UK.
You got sent from a friend and you weren't sure
how to eat it, but you ate it on TikTok
and everyone was like it almost called was a national
incident between New Zealand and the UK because you ate
it wrong? Yeah, yeah it was.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
It was, and all the like media radio stations from
around the world were covering this in what the world
do you get a bloody if any food item and go, oh,
you know how I eat this?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I smash it on a table and.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Then I ate it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I thought the way you ate it, to be fair,
was the way it was.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
How did you eat it?
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I got it? So you're supposed that the whole concept,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
You're supposed to smash it and then it falls into
segments and then you eat the segments.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
But I didn't know this information.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Does it have instructions on it? No?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Mine didn't because it was a nineteenth Jubilee box.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Oh right, well yeah they can't. They can't get Maddy, No,
but didn't have instructions.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
They have tried to prevent me now from getting in
the border of the United Kingdom, like a petition that
went out.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Really really, it's sometimes.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
This is when I grow up, you're big on TikTok,
love what you do, but you have millions of followers.
I found myself watching too much techtok and dad tells
me to get off.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
So what do you actually think of social media? Good
or bad?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I think both, and you say good.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
I think what is amazing about social media is that
when your dad was growing up, and especially I think
a woman that you know your age, the only idea
that you had of people were magazines, was the Kardashians,
was edited things that was selected by the media, So
there was no other way, at least it was like
(18:39):
reality TV. There was no other way to see normal lives.
So you were only kind of growing up seeing this
picture perfect body and like these perfect bodies and that's it.
We're social media has completely taken that power away from
the media and is like this is real life. These
are real bodies, these are real stories. My life is
not glamorous. And I think there's definitely a lot of
(19:01):
negatives to social media. We all know that the bullying,
the time consumed, but the stuff that you can learn
on there, the fact that you can grow up and
see people like myself on there, or people that don't
aren't cut Ashians or have pitch perfect lives.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
But that's actually really healthy in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah, it's a way. You're right, it's opened the world
up to not just that select Yeah, screen time.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Not as healthy. I don't even want to know what
line is.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
And obviously there is a lot of danger to social
media and stuff, but I think the reality is it's
not going anywhere, so learning how to use it. Setting
screen time limits for especially your age, as very important.
Otherwise in your world just becomes social media and how
many likes can I get in that, which is not
important in the real world at all, But you.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Can see how things can go up. Put this video up.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
It didn't get your self worth starts to go with
it because you're like, oh, this photo didn't get as
many likes, or you're looking through to see who liked it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
My friend didn't like God, whever it may be.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
So my biggest thing is how do we teach young
people to not put their worth and their identity in
social media?
Speaker 3 (20:06):
That's kind of more. I think how even how parents
and stuff, how we can encourage that.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
You've done so many amazing things, from winning reality shows
to speaking at the un movies.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Books podcast, this podcast, ye, this podcast.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
What is the one thing you're most proud of? Oh?
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Man, I think all of these things have been really
cool to do, and you know, I would have never
imagined winning Dancing with the Stars, will been able to
work with Prince Harriet and do this crazy things. But
I think above absolutely everything, there was a moment I'll
never forget where I was speaking at a conference and
there was this mother that came up to me and
she was just crying and I looked at her and
(20:44):
I hugged her, and then she just said, my daughter,
she's been in and out of psych chords for a
long time. She's been really struggling, and she I got
her your book and when she read it, it was
the first time that she felt her the first time
that she felt.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Like there was hope.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I remember kind of looking up and the daughter
was there and she's crying, and I just in that moment,
was like, man, this is this is why this tops
anything any kind of achievements, as you don't do it
for anything else.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Than those moments of going these people know that there's hope.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
It must be special for you, you know, And I
mean your story has helped so many people.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
I think I cry every time that I meet people
like that. And now it's happening all over the world.
I was in the US or the UK and Scotland
and there's people coming up to me there saying the
same thing, and it's it's so cool to go actually,
like all I've done is gone, Hey, there's hope, and
other people have chosen to fight to stay and I
think that's what's really cool.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, above Prince William and Prince Harry hanging out with them,
you know, I.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Mean cool, but not as cool as that period.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
I'm like, I don't care about it, like it's cool
and I'm like, wow, how do I end up here?
Speaker 3 (21:52):
But that's never the reason you do it? And I stopped.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
If people weren't getting impacted by the story, I'm not
doing my job right.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
So it's you know that one hundred percent is always
those stories that just oh that's why, why, that's why,
that's the.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Why you do it. Okay, so we need to ask
how did you end up hanging out with Megan and Harry.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
So we actually nearly missed this entire opportunity. We were
getting this this email.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
I do a lot of speaking, and I got this
email from this woman who said you us from Wellington
being like, hey, can you come down and speak at
this conference? And at the time I was like, I'm
really busy, Like I just she was like, give me
a call when you can. We played phone tag for
like two weeks and eventually I was like, I need
to answer the lady from Wellington, and so I answered
the phone and she goes, I don't actually want you
to speak in an event. I'm a Royal Advisor and
(22:39):
Prince harr and Meghan are coming to New Zealand and
they want to have coffee with you.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
And I was like oh.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
And so afterwards they're emails.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
The first time I think she just wanted like to
know I was legit right, wasn't just going to jump
on it for that reason? And then her like this
signature afterwards added Royal Advisor and I was like, you
told me that in the first play.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
So you meet them for like your coffee?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
So we went down to Wellington, we meet them for coffee,
and I remember sitting there being.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Like, what do we do you bow?
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Do you say you're like water curse?
Speaker 4 (23:11):
And then came in and they just kind of like
shook our hands, sit down, and like afterwards were hugging us.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
And I was like, I feel like we.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Weren't supposed to do that, and you're also not supposed
to like like take photos properly with them, but we.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Did that, which I'm so glad that we did.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
But yeah, they were so nice. And then wait, I
don't know, this is really funny. We were doing interviews
afterwards and one of the reporters was asking us how
was it. It was a good and gin So we're
having coffee and then there was like slices and stuff.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
On there and she was like, the ginger crunch was
really good.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
The reporter thought that she was talking about Prince carry
the slices.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
So you got the nick name the ginger Crunch.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
From the coffee. Yeah. Yeah, I mean that shows that
they are, you know, I'm sure they're just real people,
you know, Like, yes, they have again, they have a
thing that their jobs where they're reactors or royal family,
has put them on a real public profile.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I think it's really funny though, because we even then.
I don't know if you know this, but me and
Jing got an award from her Majesty the Queen. We
were supposed to bucking so we did some stuff with
obviously with Harry and Meghan, and then we went and
met with the Royal Foundation, which.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Is the people that they were doing stuff with.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
But yeah, the award from the Queen, we were supposed
to go and receive it in Buckingham, but it was
in COVID so we couldn't.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
So I arrived at our house in the post cracked
and this like it was so bad, and I was like,
this is from the Palace and it's like in this
little no but it's got a little Queenie's signature on it.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Ri ip. But what was it?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It was an award for our service to mental health
as well in the Commonwealth.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, do you want each just wonder shach. That's good,
that's good.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
It was a great time.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
You've done a lot of reality TV. What was harder
learning dancing steps and dancing with the stars or going
without much food on Celebrity.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Treasure Celebrity Treasure Island. Sound Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Learning dances through the day, and I.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Mean dancing with the Stars was rough, Like that's eleven
hour like eleven hour days, eleven weeks like you don't
have a single day, even because we were in rehearsals
before anything was an hours and so it was crazy
TikTok TikTok.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
The Stars and it was live as well, which was scary.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Showing that TikTok Duncing the Stars just put it up
who gets the most views over a week?
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Great idea, dance.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Don't I see it? I was like, please dig up,
don't you go on that. You've tried to teach me
something does stay in my brain though dancing obviously it does.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
With you, you know, you can learn steps managed to
do it.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
But Treasure Island, first of all, I'm like, there's so
many reasons that I could.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I was just terrible.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
I had just had COVID as well, Like I was
pushed out a day from going because I had COVID
and then I'm as madic, I'm dis leaks like I'm ahd.
My hand was broken, and so trying to do anything
was was so hard. But I think, yeah, living on
rice and beans and I've got I'm allergic to seafood
and so like people were trying to catch fish and
(26:03):
I was like, well, I can't you know, eat any
of that, and then you're doing these big endurance challenges
and yeah, it's like it's crazy. You get like we
got an emergency evacuated one night, and it's just you
just cry every day.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
We feel like for TV that would go and stop
record and then be like all right, guys, great, shoot,
let's go to the Airbnb the hotel. Nah, but it's
like it's legit. You guys are in there. We don't.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
You don't have pillows. I think that was the big thing,
like you had and I was just like could you
bring No, No, you weren't allowed. So you had to
like roll up sweatshirts and like just try to use that.
And then you allowed to bring like a pillow case
and stuff it with clothes. So that's what some people did.
I didn't know this information, and so I'm going to
out myself here. When we got emergency evacuated and we
went to the hotels, I took the hotel.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I was like, I'm so sorry. I We'll play the
hotel back. They have so many of them because some
people did that. But yeah, you just kind of had to.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Like roll up like clothes and then just kind of
use it as the plow cases. Smart. Yeah, school camp,
they give you a list of going all these are
all the things you kind of yes.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
But I got so much stuff taken off me because
they begs at you as if you were like coming
into a new country and you've got all the illegal stuff.
So like I had like baby wipes got taken off
me because they could be used as toilet paper, use
toilet paper. I was like, this is all like no mirrors,
but they must have makeup so you could do your
makeup without any mirrors, which.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Was I just was like this, maybe you could like
smash something.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Well a year or like maybe the mirror would start
a fire if you know. And where we were and
Wonaca like it's quite dry land, but he was.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
I think Libertish Ryland was the hardest thing.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
I had done you ever done?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Absolutely like it was wild.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Would I do it again?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Probably probably because it's I love that kind of thing.
It's fun, but it definitely takes it.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Before we go, I want to fire at you some
quick fire questions to find out if I really want
to be like, yeah, this game is called this or that?
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Ready TikTok or Instagram TikTok styles or Harry Potter Harry styles,
Jandles or Crocs, Crocs, Minecraft or Fortnite.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
I haven't played either, so you can to Crime Energy
or Frank Green drink bottle Frank Green.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Everyone I love Frank Emotion or support water okay, okay,
Kindle or real Book, Real Book, Netflix or Snapchat, Netflix,
air pods or a zero point five photo.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Zero point five is the new Well, it's probably not.
I feel like I've just gone onto it. It's very cool,
high angle stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Yeah, but I have my aarpod Maxes, which I love
like those different. Yeah, it is a different. Okay, I'm
gonna get in that case, I'm going to do zero
point five.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
But also, alright, sleep in or stay up late sleep
Barbie movie or Fast and Furious. Prince Harry or Prince William,
They're probably not going to hear that.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Ye think he is going to do the chocolate. Thank either.
We don't want another how about we don't answer that one.
We don't want to cause another incident, international incident.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
It's the final Johnno will be in.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Oh you can't put her there? Yes, thank you so
much for what you did.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I definitely want to be like you because you have
so many people what you do now literally saves lives.
Thank you for sharing your story and giving people hope.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh, thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
How cool is Jazz? Do you see why I want
to be like her?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
She is cool? But also she chose you over me?
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Right?
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah? Now, really inspiring us so much great advice from Jazz,
and I actually found really interesting Her answer about how
she choose to help people over anything that she's achieved
personally is yeah, really awesome.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It shows to a sort of person she is.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Yeah, you know, so it's settled. You want to grow
up and you want to be Jazz Thornton.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Right, Well, maybe, but there's lenchy of other inspiring people
who I could be like this again, aren't we Yeah,
don't forget to like and subscribe or you'll miss out.
And who the Nicks inspiring person could be
The Heads podcast network mine never seeing it and this
is my dadmin. Hi, and when I grow up, I
want to be a TikTok start right, or a sports
player Okay, hang on, yeah, even a fashion designer. Actually,
maybe an.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Auclory Okay, slow down. Maybe we should talk to some
amazing females who inspire you and who you want to be, like, yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
We can find out what they did to get where
they are.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes, and let's do it as a TV show.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
No, Dad, only old people watch TV. Let's do it
as a podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I guess that works.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
This is when I grow up. Today's guest is Jazz Thornton.
As you're here, Jazz does incredible things to help people
with mental health, especially young people. She shares her inspiring
story on.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
The podcast Jesu is awesome. She's great. I'd say sing
her like she's got lots of riz.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
She's never said that. Every time you see someone call
you think something twe you like, oh, they got lots
of risks. She tells a pin that there's lots of
britz because you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Work song I love because it winds you up so much.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Seriously, though, Jairs is amazing. It was really cool to
find out some tips for mental health for teens appearans,
you know, actually for everyone, and also some.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Good ways when you're dealing with anxiety and when you're
feeling low.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Jas at one point on the podcast, you'll hear she
even got me crying with one story, Dad, you.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Cry with every movie, every animated movie than joy story
in turn Out. And that's if you don't fall asleep,
because then all I care.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Okay, okay, all right, enough about me watching the movies. Okay, Yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Jazz is also a TikTok style with millions of followers,
and I found it really interesting asking her to answer
to whether social media is good or bad.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, and the power of the block button is quite interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Right, And she also hangs out with famous people. We
find out how she almost missed the chance to hang
out with Prince Harry and Mega Market.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And now Jas got to hang out with me. So
that's great, isn't that?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, that's not quite as cool told me, But I
have you enjoyed our chat as much as we did.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It really footed me with the hope.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
And as you did, I'd be pretty proud if you
ended up helping people like jazz does Hey, dad.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Today, when I grow up, I want to be someone
who helps people like jazz. Thoughtan.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Okay, well shit, it's I don't know if it's awkward
or not, but jazz is with us right now as
you say that.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, it's so nice to meet you. I've been such
a big fan for a while. Now, Oh, it's so
nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I think that was the best introduction of your head.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah. I love that I've put you on the spot. Yes, yeah,
what what do you admire about jazz? Then? Why would
you want to be someone like jazz?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Well, first of all, I love your tektik, I.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Love your time, love it when I do TikTok, and
do I get involved. You're you're embarrassing me.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Okay, that's just because you're you.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Okay, fine, But I.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Also love that jazz helps people so many, like so
many people my age, and by sharing a story and
giving people hope. Now, Jazz, you help people with their
mental health. And with doing this, you've got to experience
some amazing things, making movies, meeting famous celebrities and royalty,
writing books, and even speaking of the un Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
But I guess to get to where you are now, Jazz,
it was such a journey for you, you know, going
through some horrible, horrible times, and that's to put it lightly.
How do you feel when you look back at that
and you go, well, here I am now, But I
had to get through that to get to where I
am now.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Absolutely, And I think I often find myself kind of
looking back at it and being like, man, what I
like trade all of that bad stuff so that I
could just have like a normal life. But every day
that someone comes up to me and they're like, oh,
your story's helped me so much or like it and
allowed me to see hope to stay another day, I'm like, oh,
you know what, Actually, all of that stuff, as much
as it sucked and it was so hard, I.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Wouldn't take it.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
I wouldn't change it because I now get to do
all of these things and just impact people and be
able to share my story, which is twelve year old Jaz.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Would have never thought was possible. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So, Jazz, I read around my age you didn't want
to be around anymore, which is really sad. But what
would you tell your younger self at my age?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, Well, I guess what you're saying are you're looking
back a twelve year old, third year old Jazz.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Oh Man, I just like, there's so much more in
the world than what you can see now. And I
think that when you're you know, when you're twelve, when
you're thirteen, that all you can kind of really see.
And I think for me, because I didn't have the
opportunity to travel or see anything outside of the small
town that I grew up in New Zealand, my perception
was that the world was just this tiny kind of
(04:29):
town that I was in that nothing could ever change.
And it's like, oh man, there's so much out there,
like getting to finish school and going to.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
The ball and then going into you know, whether it
be university or whatever it may be. There's just this
so much more of the world than what you know.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I mean, I grew up a master than in the
world before social media.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I mean, you know, no one wants to hear about
your stupid mask. Oh you talk about when I grew up,
I don't have social media.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Okay, you do grow up in mass little wherever you
grow up, but your world is school and everything around
it at the time.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
And I think what happens and what happened for me,
especially around that age and with bullying, which is such
a prominent thing in schools now for young people, was
that when you're in that position where you're getting bullied,
you feel like the whole world hates you because your perception.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Of the whole world is so small.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
So again it's quite hard to see like, oh, actually
this isn't the case, and not everyone in the whole
world doesn't like me. It's just a couple of bloody
school bullies.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean it's hard. The teenagers is hard for
every everyone. I'm looking back. I wore a Looney tuned
dove and made it into a waistcoat and bandanna and
pants sitting and went to the school boar And now
I'm like, what was I doing? Geez? I wanted It's
terrible afterwards, it's not good. No one wants to use
a teenage boys do something you're wear.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
For the ball, but I don't nature your embarrassing school
ball story.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Gosh, but it's hard to be teenagers, I mean any teenager, right, Jess,
you're a public kid. I look at seeing my daughter,
you know, and she's a bubbly kid. But you somewhere
you lost that light as a teen and as a parent,
that's heartbreaking to hear that that happened.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
I think my child protection files literally said that I
went from being happy and bubbly to dull and lacking emotion.
And I think that for me was like knowing and
seeing people like you know yourself in this real, bright,
bubbly teenage and being like, man, that could have been me.
And it took me so long to find that bubbly
again and to find the kind of person that I
(06:30):
used to be. But then once I found it, I
was like, oh my gosh, this is who I am.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
This. If someone's getting bullied, feeling down, or feeling helpless,
what a good ways to cope.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I think that the biggest thing and the best thing
that you can do is to ask for help. I
think that there are so many people, especially in school,
like teachers that are older and wiser and are able
to kind of guide you through that being able to
kind of sit.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
There in silence is just going to make it a
lot worse. And so yeah, I do think that the
best thing that.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
You can do is to ask for help, but in
doing that to also always ask for help from older
and wiser I think when you're really struggling asking from
help from people that are your own age or friends
at school. It's good that people know what's going on.
But as wise as you are sometimes I mean not even.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
As wise as you are.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Yeah, and so you know, older and wiser and just
learning to ask for helpers.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, this is when I grow up.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
What about as I guess as a parent as well,
we advice, you know, for someone who's just got a
daughter thirteen? You know, I think it's mine. I think
you're you know, I say, yeah, but this is worrying
met all seriousness about you know, the things that kids
have to go through these days, whether it's you know, bullying,
whether it's even vaping, whether it's social media, body image,
all those sorts of things is quite worrying as a parent.
(07:51):
What advice? I mean, that's probably you haven't been a parent,
But what would you give first people like me that
want to support our my kids through that.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
I think that the biggest thing to do is to
be having these open and honest conversations as much as possible.
I think you can't expect them to come to you
when things are happening at school or when you know,
even things like vaping or social media is happening if
you haven't been opening up, especially like I think the
dinner table used to be really good for that, but
now it's kind of just become we go.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And watch screens or whatever it may be.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
But if you're not having that constant space where you're
just like allowing your kid to debrief their day, or
you know, constantly ask and like how, no, how are
you really like how's your day going? Or doing it
in a way that's not judgmental too, because what I've noticed,
especially with social media, the parents that try to be
super strict on it, that's when the kids turn sneaky
and the kids don't want to talk, and so learning
(08:46):
to attend you don't have to understand it or you know,
don't be like oh back in my day or so
much worse, it's going to silence your kid. But just
having those spaces, try and reactivate dinner times if you can,
or just even like a couple times a week where
you're at the dinner table, no screens and having this
conversations so that if stuff does hit the fan, they
feel like they can talk to you openly and honestly
without sneaking around and.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Jobbing off of the school gates. Still give them big hugging.
Oh yeah, that sort of stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You know, you're already at worked by like five year.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You don't give me, give me picking up I picking
up inside skills. Sho't we pick up inside school?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
It's all right. You bring a lot of people hope
with what you've done. But I read that you didn't
do it alone. As a teenager. You were in a
pretty dark place and a doctor named doctor step helped
you out.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yes, doctor Steff.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, I guess that was someone that you well, you
turn to not but I guess by choice at the moment,
but someone who did, like you're saying before, someone older
and wiser that sort of sat with you for a
long time, a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
It was supposed to be like a fifteen minute doctor's
appointment ended up being ninety. And she said that reality
is is that if it was a physical thing, if
someone was having a heart attack, then it doesn't matter
how long you've spend with them, you will still with
them until you can make sure they're stable. And she
said it's the same with mental health, to be able
to sit and stay with someone. And she's like just
(10:07):
responding to it the same way, which is the same
thing with learning to ask for help, like responding it
to the same way as you do with physical health.
But yeah, she was amazing and said a lot of
stuff to me that I'd never really heard from medical professionals.
Medical professionals hadn't told me that there was hope for me,
that things could change. And having someone like that tell
me that, I was like, WHOA Like if she thinks this,
(10:27):
maybe things could change. And now many many many years later,
she's on the board of our charity and I have
adopted myself and to their family holiday with her at stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
See, young people can hang out with old people.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
People didn't thank she with my mum over here. She
wasn't too impressed.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So, Jazz, do you recommend for young people when their
load talk to someone that well they trust. To find
your own doctor, Steff, someone you can.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Talk to always always, And I think just keep asking
until someone listens, because they're all always will be and
sometimes you might not get someone who understands right away.
But I didn't like it took me so long to
find ault staff. But eventually someone will listen and be
able to help.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Yeah, can I ask on any tips like things like anxiety.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
It happens to all of us.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
I get anxiety, You get anxious. But you have a technique, right,
I do.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
And it's quite a known technique as well. But box
breathing as a really have you heard of it before?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I think I've heard of it.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
So it's basically where you breathe in for fo you
count to four, breathing for four, hold it for four,
breathe out for four, and then hold like no ear
for four and you keep doing that over and over again,
and it will literally calm down your nervous system, like
biologically scientifically we'll calm it down.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
And so you just take a moment for yourself somewhere
if it's feeling it, and just kind of go through
that breathing.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, And I will do that often before I get
up on stage and speak at things.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
And because do you still you know, you deal with
some of these things and you find what techniques and
ways to deal with it now. Right absolutely, it doesn't
just mean because you were feeling low one time, there
you're not anymore. It's not going to happen again, you know.
It's kind of ways to find ways of dealing with it.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
That's been the thing is learning, learning the tools, learning
the techniques, and that way things won't get as bad
as they were because now I know I know what
to do, I know.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
How to handle it.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
And I went to get off my phone and sign
out of social media.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Yeah, all of those things are very very good. But yeah,
box breathing is a really good thing for people to learn.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Now, you at your charity, you know voices of hope,
You've got your podcast, Hope is real as well. I
guess your message is always about finding hope. I hope,
I hope. I've got the right message from all the
things that you do. Yeah, I think it's good to
find that hope. Though sometimes when things feel about hopeless,
used hope a lot during that question.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
That's frambling answer the question another time.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Yez, I think that what I found is and when
it was really dark, I thought that hope just didn't exist,
And I'm like, oh, hope is always there. Sometimes it's
just really hard to find it. And sometimes that's where
other people can come in and kind kind of try
out hold the hope when you're trying to find it.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
And that's what Stiff did with me. She was like, no,
Jaz's hope for you. But I think being able to
try and look forward and dream to the future.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
If you could do anything, what would it be, Because
it's really hard to fight if you don't know what
you're fighting for. And so if you can say, like
for me, one of the biggest things. And I remember
writing this down in the hospital one day. They keep
trying to make me write a bucket list, and I
was like, I want to write a bucket list, and
eventually I did, and at the top of their bucket
list was to visit New York City.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And then when I finally was there, I now work
there all the time.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, you go there. You're going in a couple of
days to speak at the U yes tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
And so to be able to stand there and be like,
oh my gosh, like this is what you know, fifteen
year old Jazz was fighting for to one day have
that moment been able to hold hope that way is yeah,
just a day at a time sometimes.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah. So when did you decide to use your story
and your profile, your social media, public speaking books, speeches,
and your podcast like use it to help others? Did
that just like happen or did you decide to do it?
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I mean it was it was definitely a decision, but
I never expected it to be what it's become.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Like this is wild.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Like I remember, actually your dad and John O were
in our first ever Voices of Hope campaign.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
There we did.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Do you remember that we had a rugby ball and
you were like throwing the ball.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
But I decided to go to film school because when
I was in the middle of my struggles, I spent
a lot of time trying to research other people's stories
just to know that there was hope, and back then
I couldn't find anything. I think John Kernware had to
kind of just come out with his story and that
was really it. And so when I came out the
other side, I was like, I just want to learn
to tell these stories so that people can, no matter
(14:42):
what it is they're facing, can go and find hope.
So study directing. But yeah, my first show got picked
up there two terms into film school, and then the
movie got signed and the books got signed the year after,
and then it kind of just then I got on TikTok.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't even want it to do but.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Talk to Stiff's But like, you gotta get on TikTok
and I was like, no, in the first video over
post it was so lame.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
It was a freaking dog with a stick like a
run I don't know what I was doing, and then
started to share.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
But I did the series and the.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Movie and the first book before TikTok existed, and I
guess TikTok really is just what blew up?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Yeah, everything, but yes it was.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
It was a decision to tell these stories, not necessarily
my story to this extent, but it happened.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
And now I'm like, oh, well, if people find hope
in it is what it happens.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Is it hard putting yourself out there? And like, how
many nasty comments you encounter? Like how do you deal
with that?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Yeah, I mean there's always negativity. I guess yas. I mean,
just google John Oan being if you want to make
yourself feel better.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
I've learned the power of the block button on social media.
Love a good block love blah. If people are mean,
I'm like, I don't have to see this. You're right,
people don't have to comment.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
This is the thing. And it probably sounds like an
old man ranting here, so you know, will roll her eyes.
But you don't have to comment on everything. If you
don't like something, you don't have to comment.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
It's true, you can look away, like why do you
feel the need to comment on someone else's video.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
All the time? You know, but that's kind of I
guess we social media is encouraged to comments. Yeah, but
sometimes I'm like, you can probably walk away and well,
I think a.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Lot of the main backlash that I've had was at
the start, and it was all like middle aged specifically,
to be honest, middle aged men.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah, it was basically just but they were very much
just like.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Because they still couldn't get past the attention seeking act.
So they were just like the film was getting announced
and they were like, there's.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Attention seeking be like blah blah blah. And I was like,
oh my gosh, like come on.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
But that started to kind of I'm like, hey, most
of our statistics and middle aged men, so this is
not just for our teenagers, for you everyone, everyone.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You didn't just.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Upset older people like that, you were upseted one of
their chocolates.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Wrong, This is the most viral thing I have ever done.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
So if not if people were listening to that, what
the heck was this? There was a chocolate from the UK.
You got sent from a friend and you weren't sure
how to eat it, but you ate it on TikTok
and everyone was like it almost called was a national
incident between New Zealand and the UK because you ate
it wrong? Yeah, yeah it was.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
It was, and all the like media radio stations from
around the world were covering this in what the world
do you get a bloody if any food item and go, oh,
you know how I eat this?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I smash it on a table and.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Then I ate it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I thought the way you ate it, to be fair,
was the way it was.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
How did you eat it?
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I got it? So you're supposed that the whole concept,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
You're supposed to smash it and then it falls into
segments and then you eat the segments.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
But I didn't know this information.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Does it have instructions on it? No?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Mine didn't because it was a nineteenth Jubilee box.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Oh right, well yeah they can't. They can't get Maddy, No,
but didn't have instructions.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
They have tried to prevent me now from getting in
the border of the United Kingdom, like a petition that
went out.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Really really, it's sometimes.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
This is when I grow up, you're big on TikTok,
love what you do, but you have millions of followers.
I found myself watching too much techtok and dad tells
me to get off.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
So what do you actually think of social media? Good
or bad?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
I think both, and you say good.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
I think what is amazing about social media is that
when your dad was growing up, and especially I think
a woman that you know your age, the only idea
that you had of people were magazines, was the Kardashians,
was edited things that was selected by the media, So
there was no other way, at least it was like
(18:39):
reality TV. There was no other way to see normal lives.
So you were only kind of growing up seeing this
picture perfect body and like these perfect bodies and that's it.
We're social media has completely taken that power away from
the media and is like this is real life. These
are real bodies, these are real stories. My life is
not glamorous. And I think there's definitely a lot of
(19:01):
negatives to social media. We all know that the bullying,
the time consumed, but the stuff that you can learn
on there, the fact that you can grow up and
see people like myself on there, or people that don't
aren't cut Ashians or have pitch perfect lives.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
But that's actually really healthy in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah, it's a way. You're right, it's opened the world
up to not just that select Yeah, screen time.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Not as healthy. I don't even want to know what
line is.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
And obviously there is a lot of danger to social
media and stuff, but I think the reality is it's
not going anywhere, so learning how to use it. Setting
screen time limits for especially your age, as very important.
Otherwise in your world just becomes social media and how
many likes can I get in that, which is not
important in the real world at all, But you.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Can see how things can go up. Put this video up.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
It didn't get your self worth starts to go with
it because you're like, oh, this photo didn't get as
many likes, or you're looking through to see who liked it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
My friend didn't like God, whever it may be.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
So my biggest thing is how do we teach young
people to not put their worth and their identity in
social media?
Speaker 3 (20:06):
That's kind of more. I think how even how parents
and stuff, how we can encourage that.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
You've done so many amazing things, from winning reality shows
to speaking at the un movies.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Books podcast, this podcast, ye, this podcast.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
What is the one thing you're most proud of? Oh?
Speaker 4 (20:23):
Man, I think all of these things have been really
cool to do, and you know, I would have never
imagined winning Dancing with the Stars, will been able to
work with Prince Harriet and do this crazy things. But
I think above absolutely everything, there was a moment I'll
never forget where I was speaking at a conference and
there was this mother that came up to me and
she was just crying and I looked at her and
(20:44):
I hugged her, and then she just said, my daughter,
she's been in and out of psych chords for a
long time. She's been really struggling, and she I got
her your book and when she read it, it was
the first time that she felt her the first time
that she felt.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Like there was hope.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
And I remember kind of looking up and the daughter
was there and she's crying, and I just in that moment,
was like, man, this is this is why this tops
anything any kind of achievements, as you don't do it
for anything else.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Than those moments of going these people know that there's hope.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
It must be special for you, you know, And I
mean your story has helped so many people.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
I think I cry every time that I meet people
like that. And now it's happening all over the world.
I was in the US or the UK and Scotland
and there's people coming up to me there saying the
same thing, and it's it's so cool to go actually,
like all I've done is gone, Hey, there's hope, and
other people have chosen to fight to stay and I
think that's what's really cool.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, above Prince William and Prince Harry hanging out with them,
you know, I.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Mean cool, but not as cool as that period.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
I'm like, I don't care about it, like it's cool
and I'm like, wow, how do I end up here?
Speaker 3 (21:52):
But that's never the reason you do it? And I stopped.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
If people weren't getting impacted by the story, I'm not
doing my job right.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
So it's you know that one hundred percent is always
those stories that just oh that's why, why, that's why,
that's the.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Why you do it. Okay, so we need to ask
how did you end up hanging out with Megan and Harry.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
So we actually nearly missed this entire opportunity. We were
getting this this email.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
I do a lot of speaking, and I got this
email from this woman who said you us from Wellington
being like, hey, can you come down and speak at
this conference? And at the time I was like, I'm
really busy, Like I just she was like, give me
a call when you can. We played phone tag for
like two weeks and eventually I was like, I need
to answer the lady from Wellington, and so I answered
the phone and she goes, I don't actually want you
to speak in an event. I'm a Royal Advisor and
(22:39):
Prince harr and Meghan are coming to New Zealand and
they want to have coffee with you.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
And I was like oh.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
And so afterwards they're emails.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
The first time I think she just wanted like to
know I was legit right, wasn't just going to jump
on it for that reason? And then her like this
signature afterwards added Royal Advisor and I was like, you
told me that in the first play.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
So you meet them for like your coffee?
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
So we went down to Wellington, we meet them for coffee,
and I remember sitting there being.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Like, what do we do you bow?
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Do you say you're like water curse?
Speaker 4 (23:11):
And then came in and they just kind of like
shook our hands, sit down, and like afterwards were hugging us.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
And I was like, I feel like we.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Weren't supposed to do that, and you're also not supposed
to like like take photos properly with them, but we.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Did that, which I'm so glad that we did.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
But yeah, they were so nice. And then wait, I
don't know, this is really funny. We were doing interviews
afterwards and one of the reporters was asking us how
was it. It was a good and gin So we're
having coffee and then there was like slices and stuff.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
On there and she was like, the ginger crunch was
really good.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
The reporter thought that she was talking about Prince carry
the slices.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
So you got the nick name the ginger Crunch.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
From the coffee. Yeah. Yeah, I mean that shows that
they are, you know, I'm sure they're just real people,
you know, Like, yes, they have again, they have a
thing that their jobs where they're reactors or royal family,
has put them on a real public profile.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
I think it's really funny though, because we even then.
I don't know if you know this, but me and
Jing got an award from her Majesty the Queen. We
were supposed to bucking so we did some stuff with
obviously with Harry and Meghan, and then we went and
met with the Royal Foundation, which.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Is the people that they were doing stuff with.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
But yeah, the award from the Queen, we were supposed
to go and receive it in Buckingham, but it was
in COVID so we couldn't.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
So I arrived at our house in the post cracked
and this like it was so bad, and I was like,
this is from the Palace and it's like in this
little no but it's got a little Queenie's signature on it.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Ri ip. But what was it?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
It was an award for our service to mental health
as well in the Commonwealth.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, do you want each just wonder shach. That's good,
that's good.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
It was a great time.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
You've done a lot of reality TV. What was harder
learning dancing steps and dancing with the stars or going
without much food on Celebrity.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Treasure Celebrity Treasure Island. Sound Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Learning dances through the day, and I.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Mean dancing with the Stars was rough, Like that's eleven
hour like eleven hour days, eleven weeks like you don't
have a single day, even because we were in rehearsals
before anything was an hours and so it was crazy
TikTok TikTok.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
The Stars and it was live as well, which was scary.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Showing that TikTok Duncing the Stars just put it up
who gets the most views over a week?
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Great idea, dance.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Don't I see it? I was like, please dig up,
don't you go on that. You've tried to teach me
something does stay in my brain though dancing obviously it does.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
With you, you know, you can learn steps managed to
do it.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
But Treasure Island, first of all, I'm like, there's so
many reasons that I could.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
I was just terrible.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
I had just had COVID as well, Like I was
pushed out a day from going because I had COVID
and then I'm as madic, I'm dis leaks like I'm ahd.
My hand was broken, and so trying to do anything
was was so hard. But I think, yeah, living on
rice and beans and I've got I'm allergic to seafood
and so like people were trying to catch fish and
(26:03):
I was like, well, I can't you know, eat any
of that, and then you're doing these big endurance challenges
and yeah, it's like it's crazy. You get like we
got an emergency evacuated one night, and it's just you
just cry every day.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
We feel like for TV that would go and stop
record and then be like all right, guys, great, shoot,
let's go to the Airbnb the hotel. Nah, but it's
like it's legit. You guys are in there. We don't.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
You don't have pillows. I think that was the big thing,
like you had and I was just like could you
bring No, No, you weren't allowed. So you had to
like roll up sweatshirts and like just try to use that.
And then you allowed to bring like a pillow case
and stuff it with clothes. So that's what some people did.
I didn't know this information, and so I'm going to
out myself here. When we got emergency evacuated and we
went to the hotels, I took the hotel.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I was like, I'm so sorry. I We'll play the
hotel back. They have so many of them because some
people did that. But yeah, you just kind of had to.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Like roll up like clothes and then just kind of
use it as the plow cases. Smart. Yeah, school camp,
they give you a list of going all these are
all the things you kind of yes.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
But I got so much stuff taken off me because
they begs at you as if you were like coming
into a new country and you've got all the illegal stuff.
So like I had like baby wipes got taken off
me because they could be used as toilet paper, use
toilet paper. I was like, this is all like no mirrors,
but they must have makeup so you could do your
makeup without any mirrors, which.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Was I just was like this, maybe you could like
smash something.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Well a year or like maybe the mirror would start
a fire if you know. And where we were and
Wonaca like it's quite dry land, but he was.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
I think Libertish Ryland was the hardest thing.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
I had done you ever done?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Absolutely like it was wild.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Would I do it again?
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Probably probably because it's I love that kind of thing.
It's fun, but it definitely takes it.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Before we go, I want to fire at you some
quick fire questions to find out if I really want
to be like, yeah, this game is called this or that?
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Ready TikTok or Instagram TikTok styles or Harry Potter Harry styles,
Jandles or Crocs, Crocs, Minecraft or Fortnite.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
I haven't played either, so you can to Crime Energy
or Frank Green drink bottle Frank Green.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Everyone I love Frank Emotion or support water okay, okay,
Kindle or real Book, Real Book, Netflix or Snapchat, Netflix,
air pods or a zero point five photo.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Zero point five is the new Well, it's probably not.
I feel like I've just gone onto it. It's very cool,
high angle stuff.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Yeah, but I have my aarpod Maxes, which I love
like those different. Yeah, it is a different. Okay, I'm
gonna get in that case, I'm going to do zero
point five.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
But also, alright, sleep in or stay up late sleep
Barbie movie or Fast and Furious. Prince Harry or Prince William,
They're probably not going to hear that.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Ye think he is going to do the chocolate. Thank either.
We don't want another how about we don't answer that one.
We don't want to cause another incident, international incident.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
It's the final Johnno will be in.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Oh you can't put her there? Yes, thank you so
much for what you did.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I definitely want to be like you because you have
so many people what you do now literally saves lives.
Thank you for sharing your story and giving people hope.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Oh, thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
How cool is Jazz? Do you see why I want
to be like her?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
She is cool? But also she chose you over me?
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Right?
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah? Now, really inspiring us so much great advice from Jazz,
and I actually found really interesting Her answer about how
she choose to help people over anything that she's achieved
personally is yeah, really awesome.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It shows to a sort of person she is.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Yeah, you know, so it's settled. You want to grow
up and you want to be Jazz Thornton.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Right, Well, maybe, but there's lenchy of other inspiring people
who I could be like this again, aren't we Yeah,
don't forget to like and subscribe or you'll miss out.
And who the Nicks inspiring person could be
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